The Movies That Got Away – How the Films We Missed Would’ve Changed Our Past Top 10’s
July 24th, 2017 by Gregg Senko
“There are only so many hours in the day.” That’s a statement we have all heard and probably even used ourselves. The same thing applies to movie watching and then some. There are only so many hours in a day and only so many movies we can get to in a year. Every year at least one person that sees my Top 10 list in January asks me, “Oh, so you’ve seen EVERY movie from last year?” No. Of course not. That’s not realistic, but since I have a keyboard and an opinion, I’ll write about what I did see. Still, that can leave a multitude of pictures out of a person’s viewing experience. So what happens to those great films we missed?
Batman #25 came out in print and digital formats this past Tuesday, but it wasn’t the Caped Crusader that everyone was necessarily clamoring to read about this week. Turns out the greed of two of Batman’s biggest arch rivals have pitted their wits and forces against one another. Ladies and germs, this is a story that a lot of fans have been waiting for for sometime. In this corner, it’s the patron of purple pants! The man of masquerading makeup! The killer clown! It’s…THE JOKER! And over here in this corner, it’s the inquisitive interrogator! The curious questioner! The green gangster! He’s…THE RIDDLER!
The son of the X-Men’s Cyclops will likely make his big screen debut in the next Deadpool film, but for now, all you fans of our favorite time-traveling mutant can whet their appetite on Marvel’s latest Cable series for 2017. Written by James Robinson and pencilled by Carlos Pacheco, Nathan Summers is back to start some ruckus! Don’t worry, he only destroys things for a good cause. In this case, it’s to save the integrity of the time continuum, so buckle up because we’re about to blast into the past with Cable.
…and it’s a good thing. There are hundreds, even thousands of comic book titles published around the world today. Many come and go, while other stalwarts have staked their claim in fandom and become favorites of many. For those that are here today and gone tomorrow, however, it’s worth taking a look at why they disappear. Poor story, perhaps? Not enough publicity? I have no role in Shed‘s story, but I’ll do what I can to deliver the publicity because this title is so worth it.
When their first album, Night Visions, was released in September of 2012, Imagine Dragons quickly started amassing a fanbase. There are very few albums that not only grab, but retain my interest for months and years to come. Night Visions did that in extraordinary fashion for me and many others and is still a record I go back to frequently. Roughly three years later, the band came out with its sophomore album, Smoke + Mirrors. For whatever reason, I never connected with it. Nothing jumped out and grabbed me and I always found its debut track, “I Bet My Life,” to be rather noisy. Critics were split on the record and I was bummed. Still, it went gold in the U.S. and was successful overseas. However, my musical concern grew. Could they be the proverbial rookie flash-in-the-pan? A one-and-done?
In 1991, author Timothy Zahn was tasked with the duty to write a trilogy of Star Wars novels that were the sequels to Return of the Jedi. From the get-go, these stories were magnificent and featured an array of new characters (Jacen & Jaina Solo) as well as ones we were already familiar with (Luke, Han, Chewie & Leia). One character that arguably stood out above them all in those books was the then newly created Grand Admiral Thrawn. He was such a hit with fans that even Disney couldn’t overlook him. It’s been out for about a month and a half now, but the alien commander has his own book.
He talks to fish. He carries an underwater pitchfork. He looks like Biff the water polo star. The character of Arthur Curry has been the butt of numerous jokes and criticisms over the years. He’s been the proverbial punching bag of readers and critics alike. Yet somehow, despite all the knocks and jabs, Curry (a.k.a. Aquaman) has survived several decades. Though the Aquaman title has not achieved the commercial print success as some of his peers (Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, etc.), it has grown substantially in popularity in recent years, establishing itself a prominent foothold in DC’s line of top tier heroes.
Finally. I finally saw La La Land this past weekend. I took my seat, and though I’m not a fan of musicals, went in with an open mind. After all, I have grown quite fond of An American in Paris, Nine and of course Singing’ in the Rain. These were all great works with the latter most being nothing less than pure brilliance. Unfortunately, the days of Gene Kelly have long since passed, which brings us to the courageous and creative Damien Chazelle who wrote and directed La La Land. Now that the movie is over, I can tell all the award ceremonies why they’re wrong.
It’s no secret that Dave Matthews Band has been one of the most successful bands since the 90’s. There’s just something about their music that connects with me on a very soulful level. Maybe it’s the unconventional singing voice of Dave himself. It could be the marriage of all those instruments that blend into a unified musical journey. There’s also the story-telling element of Dave’s lyrics that add depth to their content. In actuality, it’s truly a combination of all those things and more. While the live concert is where the band thrives, there’s no overlooking their roster of studio albums. There’s no real timetable for their next release, but there is and admirable library to pick from today so let’s take a look at how they rate.
It was certainly a turbulent year in the entertainment business as 2016 saw the passing of numerous stars. Bowie left us, then Alan Rickman and the list went on with Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds passing just days apart. While they have moved on to whatever the next stage may bring, we will always have them on film. Music and movies are two things that can bring people together so take a moment to remember those we admired while continuing to enjoy to the films we loved in 2016. Keep in mind this is not a list of the most artistic films of the year, just my personal favorites as well as a few that had me squirming in my seat in boredom.
It’s been a while since I amassed a favorite Blu-rays of the the year list. There was one final title I wanted to check out before concocting my ten favorites. I enjoyed Suicide Squad in the theater earlier this year, but just in case I enjoyed it even more after a second viewing, I had to see if it was going to make my list. It did not. While entertaining, it just doesn’t possess greatness, but I digress. Alright, enough rambling. It was all for the sake of filling space here in the opening paragraph anyway. I’ve kept Hollywood holding its breath long enough. Onto the list!
I remember it like it was only a few years ago. It was 1982 and for my fifth birthday I received the Masters of the Universe figure that I was hoping for; Stratos. The jetpack-strapped, goggle-wearing birdman delighted my little childhood mind like only a He-Man figure could, as he would enter the foray in the imaginative fight against Skeletor and his evil minions. As time went on and I grew older, it was through some parental encouragement that had me peddling my collection at garage sales over time. Three words. Oh, the regret. Though I’ve long since outgrown the cartoon and playtime with these figures, it almost feels as if this band of unique heroes and villains have been lost to toy history. That is until now when a team of veteran filmmakers seek to bring all this nostalgia back into our lives.
I’m a bagpiper. Yeah I know, what the heck does that have to do with comic books, right? Bear with me as there’s a point to this. In the bagpiper community, we have a running joke as to how the rest of the world views our music. It goes something like this, “There are three tunes played on the bagpipes; Scotland the Brave, Amazing Grace and everything else.” That stereotype likely came about due to how so many tunes sound alike on the instrument. The same can be said of comic book publishers to the layman. There are three names in the comic book publishing world; Marvel, DC and everyone else. However, that ‘everyone else’ group puts out some of the most incredible stories in the genre.
This year I probably got to see the least amount of films I wanted to at the theater. Such is the case with a full schedule of work, school and an Irish dance show. So what did the year bring us? We got revisits from popular franchises like Mission Impossible and Avengers, though for only the second in the series, Avengers: Age of Ultron felt tired and rather boring. Meanwhile, Tom Cruise keeps chugging away putting out better spy films than the famed Bond series. As for the bottom feeders, although I did miss out on the often criticized Fantastic Four reboot, I do have plenty to talk about as far as the duds that hit cinemas this past year. Without further fluff and rambling dialogue, I give you my best and worst of 2015.
Where comedy and drama are more universal categories, the documentary can be somewhat polarizing depending on the subject matter. In 1980, the USA Olympic Hockey team defeated the Soviet Red Army team for a shot at the gold medal game. This was not simply a grand moment in sports. It was democracy defeating communism. It was David, in the form of a team of college kids, defeating Goliath (professional-aged players with years of chemistry together). The documentary Red Army chronicles this event, but does so from the unique and previously unheard perspective of the Russian players. However, the content is not merely limited to the Olympic upset. Read on to discover the full attributes of this very immersive film. 
Over half a decade ago, Irish singer Liz Madden made her Why So Blu debut, discussing her then new album Going Home. Liz has since built on her successful resume’ of releases, with 2015 being the launch pad for her latest album, Legacy. With each new release, Madden always finds ways to subtly separate the feel of each work from the last. Legacy proves no different.
I had one final film to see before I felt I could compile an accurate list for the recently departed 2014. Boyhood was a popular title amongst my fellow writers here, though that wasn’t showing in my area, thus escaping my viewing grasp. Gone Girl came highly recommended though the trailer never attracted my interest enough to shell out money for the movie. The film in question, however, was The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. After thoroughly enjoying last year’s Desolation of Smaug, I must admit that Five Armies ended up being a bit of a disappointment. It was not a bad film, but it certainly did not soar either. So, to my list it did not make. With Tolkien’s tales at a cinematic close and Gone Girl gone from the cinema, I present you with my top ten films of the year as well as a couple notables.
